The most popular antibiotic resistance marker genes
Among the most widely used antibiotic resistance genes as selectable markers are neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) and hygromycin phosphotransferase (hpt). There are also other marker genes like gentamycin acetyltransferase (accC3) resistance and bleomycin and phleomycin resistance, but these are not as commonly used.
The enzyme NPTII inactivates by phosphorylation a number of aminoglycoside antibiotics such as kanamycin, neomycin, geneticin (or G418) and paromomycin. Of these, G418 is routinely used for selection of transformed mammalian cells. The other three are used in a diverse range of plant species, however, kanamycin has proved to be ineffective to select legumes and gramineae.
Hygromycin phosphotransferase is a suitable marker system for both plant and animal systems. The HPT enzyme inactivates the antibiotic hygromycin B. Hygromycin is usually more toxic than kanamycin and kills sensitive cells more quickly. It is nowadays one of the preferred antibiotic resistance marker systems for transformation of monocotyledonous plants, particularly gramineae (cereals and forages).
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